Police search for shooting suspects

A construction worker was robbed and shot outside the China Imperial Restaurant Ribaut Road near Southside Boulevard in Beaufort Sunday.

Port Royal Police have few leads in the incident.

Investigators believe a 33-year-old worker, part of a construction crew remodeling the restaurant at 1370 Ribaut Road, went to a nearby storage shed to get some materials at about 7 p.m. when he was attacked by two black men, said Sgt. Michael Chapman of the Port Royal Police Department.

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Chapman said one of the suspects shot the man in the stomach, stole his wallet and the pair ran away.

Witnesses reported that they heard a gunshot and then saw the man stagger toward the restaurant holding his stomach.

He was rushed to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery, Chapman said.

He is listed in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, according to police.

Chapman said attempts to interview the victim, who is heavily sedated and speaks little English, have produced few details about the attack. He was only able to tell investigators that two men assaulted him and that his assailants wore light-colored sweatshirts.

Police haven't identified suspects, and attempts to track the men using police dogs were unsuccessful, he said.

The Port Royal Police Department is urging anyone with information about the shooting to call 843-986-2220 or Beaufort County dispatch at 843-524-2777.